The Spanish Embassy in collaboration with the Embassy of India recently launched a cultural cooperation initiative through the cinematographic industry, with the screening of the Indian film, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (You Live Only Once) at Reps Theatre.
The film was made on a budget of $10 million and was shown on 1 800 screens with critical and commercial success, making it the 11th highest grossing Bollywood film.
Spanish embassy cultural attaché Marina Garcia said Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was a 2011 Indian coming-of-age film, directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment.
Garcia said it took a light-hearted view of an all-boys road trip through Spain and delivered a deep and heartfelt message on why people should live life by seizing the moment and following their hearts.
The story follows three friends, Arjun, Imraan and Kabir, who have been inseparable since childhood. They set off to Spain on a bachelor trip and meet Laila, who falls in love with Arjun and helps him to overcome his problem of workaholism.
In the meantime, Kabir and his fiancée experience significant misunderstanding, which they soon overcome.
After solving their problems, the three friends go to locations in the country where each friend chooses a sport for the group to attempt.
“Akhatar selected Spain as the principal setting since he wanted a country that blended history, culture and sports: sea diving at Costa Brava in Barcelona, sky-diving in Seville and the San Fermin bullrun in Pamplona, some of the main places chosen,” said Garcia.
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She said the Tomatina festival of Buñol was also re-created for the song Ik Junoon, where almost 16 tonnes of tomatoes were flown in from Portugal for the shoot and the filming of the song Señorita took place in Alájar, a town in the province of Huelva.
Garcia said the crew had warned the townfolk of the song’s volume because the enactment took place at night and on the third day of shooting, the locals came dressed up in costumes, and the mayor of Alájar joined them for the shoot.
She said the final schedules were filmed at Vashi and Alibag in Mumbai in December 2010.
“Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara grossed 12 crore ($2,39 million) overseas in three days, which made it the biggest box-office opening for an Indian film in 2011 and it reached the top-20 lists in the US and UK,” she said.
Garcia said the film was nominated for several awards in various categories and won many of them, such as the best film and best director by the Filmfare Awards and the 7th NDTV Indian Film of the Year Awards.
